These terms and conditions apply to all wines, spirits or other goods or services supplied by Hic! to its customers. These terms should be read alongside (and in addition to) our Privacy Policy, Delivery Terms and Cookie Policy. Please read these terms carefully before making a purchase from us. By accessing this website and/or placing an order you agree to be bound by the terms and conditions as set out below.
1. HOW TO ORDER
2. OUR CONTRACT WITH YOU
3. DESCRIPTION & PRICES
4. HOW TO PAY
5. DELIVERY
6. RECEIPT OF GOODS
7. AVAILABILITY / SUBSTITUTES
8. RETURN OF GOODS / CANCELATION
9. QUALITY GUARANTEE
10. YOUR RIGHT TO END THE CONTRACT
11. PRIVACY POLICY
12. APPLICABLE LAW
1.1 It is against the law to sell or supply alcohol to anyone under 18 years of age in the UK. By placing an order with us you confirm that you are at least 18 years old. At the time of delivery of your order we or an agent acting on our behalf may request proof of age from the person accepting the delivery. If appropriate proof cannot be produced, we, or our agent, may refuse to deliver the order.
1.2 You may order wines, spirits or any other goods by the various methods indicated below (unless otherwise stated). You will have a right to cancel any such order, please see our ‘Return of Goods / Cancellation’ section for more details.
1.3 Please note that we do not impose a minimum order quantity or value upon our customers.
1.4 Orders can be placed via the following methods:
- Website: www.hic-winemerchants.com
- Email: hello@hic-winemerchants.com
SECTION 2. OUR CONTRACT WITH YOU
2.1 Your order constitutes an offer to buy from us. When you place an Order, we will send you an email acknowledging receipt of your Order ("Order Confirmation"). Please note the Order Confirmation does not constitute acceptance of your order.
2.2 There will be no contract of any kind between us and you unless, and until we accept your order, and in the case of wines and goods to be delivered to you, when we actually despatch the goods to you. At any point up until then, we may decline to supply the goods to you.
2.3 If we are unable to accept your order, we will inform you of this and you will not be charged for the goods. This might be because certain goods are out of stock, because we have identified an error in the price or description of the goods, or because we are unable to meet a reasonable delivery deadline you may have requested.
2.4 At the point we accept your order and when the goods are despatched, a contract will be made between you and us.
SECTION 3. DESCRIPTION & PRICES
3.1 The description and prices payable for the items that you order are clearly set out in our website. If by mistake, we have under-priced an item, we will not be liable to provide that item to you at the stated price provided that we notify you before we despatch the item concerned and we may cancel your order provided we refund to you any payments you have made.
3.2 You may agree to pay the correct price in which case we will proceed with your order.
3.3 We reserve the right to change our prices at any time.
3.4 Prices listed on our website are quoted in pounds sterling (GBP) per bottle, case or otherwise inclusive of all relevant taxes.
3.5 Any applicable delivery charges will be added at the time of order.
3.6 All bottle pictures shown online are for illustration purpose only. The actual label on the wine may vary due to changes between vintages.
4.1 Payment can be made safely and securely online via our secure e-commerce payment gateway where we accept all major credit and debit cards including American Express, Apple Pay, Shop Pay and Google Pay.
4.2 We do not accept PayPal payments.
4.3 Credit cards are always debited in UK pounds sterling (GBP).
4.4 If you would like to pay by Bank Transfer please contact us so we can provide details to complete this process.
4.5 Payment will be taken in full at the time of ordering.
4.6 For bespoke orders and offers not available online we can forward a draft invoice via email for you to pay securely online via our payment gateway.
5.1 Standard Delivery within the UK Mainland is free of charge for orders with a value in excess of the prevailing minimum order amount (presently £165.00). Orders less than the prevailing minimum order amount will incur a Standard UK Delivery charge of £12.50 (inclusive of VAT) per delivery address.
5.2 The Standard UK Mainland Delivery does not provide a service to restricted postcodes in the Scottish Highlands & Islands, Northern Ireland, Isle of Man, Channel Islands and the Republic of Ireland. Delivery to restricted postcodes is charged separately dependent on order value and restricted postcode.
5.3 Deliveries throughout Mainland UK are usually made within 10 working days after acceptance by us of your order.
5.4 Most orders are delivered by DPD and they will make two attempts to deliver your goods. If they are unable to deliver after two unsuccessful attempts your order will be returned back to us.
NB FAILED DELIVERY COST RECOVERY
In the event your order is returned to us after two unsuccessful delivery attempts due to a failure on your part, you will be liable for the direct costs we incur. If you require re-delivery, all charges, including the courier’s return-to-sender fee and the new outbound delivery cost, must be paid by you before re-despatch.
If at the point of return you choose to cancel your order, we will issue a refund for the goods purchased minus the cost of all verifiable delivery charges we have incurred (this includes the original outbound charge and the courier's return-to-sender fee).
5.5 All our deliveries must be accepted by someone 18 years old or over and will not be left with anyone under the age of 18. Proof of ID will be required. NB: DPD will not leave our delivery in a safe place even if instructed to do so.
5.6 Notwithstanding acceptance by us of any order, all Goods are offered for sale subject to availability.
5.7 Whilst we make every effort to deliver all your goods in the agreed time we will not be liable if we fail to do so in part or in full due to circumstances beyond our control.
SECTION 6. RECEIPT OF GOODS / BREAKAGES / SHORTAGES
6.1 Upon receipt of your delivery you should inspect the goods as soon as possible and notify us immediately of any breakages or shortages.
6.2 We request that you notify us of any shortages or breakages within 7 days after delivery to allow for prompt resolution with our courier. However, this does not affect your statutory rights to claim for faulty or damaged goods under UK law.
6.3 You must retain breakages and accompanying packaging for examination by us or our agent if required.
6.4 Please be aware that multi-case orders can become separated through the courier network. If you do not receive the balance of your order within 3 working days of the first delivery please contact us.
6.5 Policy on Disputed Deliveries (Delivered but Not Received)
In the event that our delivery agent claims to have successfully delivered the parcel (as per tracking information), but you assert that the goods have not come into your physical possession, we adhere to the following process to manage the resulting claim:
- Retention of Liability: In accordance with the Consumer Rights Act 2015, the responsibility for ensuring the goods reach you remains with Hic! Wine Merchants until the goods are in your physical possession or the possession of a person identified by you to take delivery.
- Mandatory Documentation: To initiate a formal investigation and insurance claim with our courier service, we require the recipient to complete and return a formal Declaration of Non-Receipt (DNR) Form. We reserve the right to pause all resolution steps (replacement or refund) until this signed document is received.
- Resolution: Upon receipt of the signed Declaration of Non-Receipt, we will immediately process either a replacement order or a full refund, as preferred by the customer, and subsequently manage the investigation with the delivery agent on your behalf.
- Misdeclaration: By submitting a signed DNR form, the customer confirms the veracity of the claim. Should the investigation later prove the claim to be false or materially inaccurate, we reserve the right to seek recovery of costs incurred.
SECTION 7. SUBSTITUTES / AVAILABILITY
7.1 All our wines and spirits are offered subject to availability. From time to time some of our wines inevitably go out of stock. In this instance our action depends on the wine's retail value.
7.1a Wines £20.00 and Below: To guarantee timely despatch and streamline fulfilment, we reserve the right to automatically substitute the listed vintage with the current available vintage, assuming quality and style remain consistent. We will not contact you first.
7.1b Wines Above £20.00: If the listed vintage of a high-value wine is unavailable, we will always contact you for confirmation of the substituted vintage before proceeding with your order.
7.2 If we are unable to supply a particular item, or do not supply a substitute, we will not be liable to you except to ensure that you are not charged for that item.
SECTION 8. RETURN OF GOODS / CANCELLATION
8.1 Any order placed for goods (to be delivered) may be cancelled within 14 working days of your receipt of the goods. A full refund will be offered provided the goods remain in a saleable condition and that the request to cancel is received in writing.
8.2 You can inform us you want to cancel your order by emailing us at hello@hic-winemerchants.com, by post, by printing off the model cancellation form and posting it to Hic! Wine Merchants, 23 Main Street, Ledston, Castleford, WF10 2AB.
8.3 If you decide to cancel under this section, you are responsible for all costs and arrangements related to returning the goods to us within 14 days of such cancellation.
8.4 We may make a deduction from the reimbursement for loss in value of any goods supplied if the loss is the result of unnecessary handling by you. Handling beyond what is necessary to inspect the goods may include, but is not limited to, damage to the label, missing or damaged capsules, or any alteration that affects the bottle's immediate resale value. In the event the wine has been opened or consumed, the loss of value will be considered 100% of the purchase price.
8.5 Any cancelled order (where you are exercising your 14-day right to cancel) will be refunded to the purchaser via their original payment method, without undue delay and in any event not later than 14 days from the date upon which the goods are received at our premises. Refunds in this instance will not include any outbound delivery costs incurred beyond the cost of our standard delivery option.
(NOTE: For costs related to failed delivery returns, please refer to the specific deductions detailed in Section 5.4.)
8.6 For your protection we strongly recommend that you use a recorded delivery service to return goods. All goods remain the responsibility of you until they are received by us.
SECTION 9. QUALITY GUARANTEE: DEFECTIVE WINE (CORK TAINT / TCA)
9.1 We are committed to delivering wines in excellent condition. Cork taint (TCA) is a naturally occurring, unavoidable fault affecting a small percentage of wines sealed with natural cork. If you believe a wine to be faulty please contact us by email at hello@hic-winemerchants.com and we will be happy to assist you
9.2 Our Quality Guarantee is conditioned strictly on your ability to provide physical evidence of the defect. No exceptions will be made.
9.3 To qualify for any refund, credit, or replacement, you must retain and return the original bottle, the original cork and at least two-thirds (2/3) of the wine content. Evidence is mandatory and we cannot process a claim without the ability to inspect this physical evidence.
9.4 Claims must be initiated within 30 days of the original purchase date.
9.5 Upon notification of a valid claim, we will arrange and cover the cost of return shipping for the defective item for verification.
9.6 Exclusion of Liability for High-Risk / Aged Wines: Due to the inherent risks associated with aged wines and storage conditions outside of our control, we reserve the right to offer store credit or partial refund only for claims regarding TCA or fault for bottles older than 5 years from release or retailing over £150 GBP. Such claims will be reviewed strictly on a case-by-case basis.
9.7 Exclusions and General Notes: This guarantee does not cover damage caused by improper storage by you the customer (e.g., heat damage, storing in direct sunlight) after the wine has been collected or delivered.
9.8 We reserve the right to deny claims where the returned bottle contains less than the required amount of wine, or where the original cork is absent.
SECTION 10. YOUR RIGHT TO END THE CONTRACT
10.1 You can end your contract with us by cancelling your order if the product you have bought is faulty or because we have told you about an upcoming change to these terms or any specific terms governing your purchase, which you do not agree to; or if we have told you about an error in the price or description of the goods you have ordered and you do not wish to proceed.
10.2 Please refer to Section 8 Return of Goods / Cancellation for further details of how to cancel.
11.1 To make a purchase from our website you agree to the terms and conditions of the site.
11.2 We only collect personal information to enable us to process and deliver your order.
11.3 By registering your details on our website, you consent to us holding personal data about you.
11.4 We will not share your personal information for marketing or any other purposes unless where required by law and we will comply with current data protection legislation.
11.5 Please see our full Privacy Policy for more information.
12.1 Nothing in these terms and conditions limits or excludes your statutory rights as a consumer.
12.2 All contracts are subject to the Law of England and Wales and the parties submit to the exclusive jurisdiction of the Courts of England and Wales.